Benzart 's, Last, most recent thread

Here is the next BenZart thread.
You can see the previous thread HERE and for the First Benzart thread look HERE
Here are the carvings I will be working on and until they are done, I will not start any new ones. Most of these are spoken for, like the 2 12" pieces to be Tap handles which TikiBird has been patiently waiting for for at least a year or more. Bete has been waiting for the BigBenZart Mahogany piece forever.










The ones unspokenfor will got to people waiting on the list. Thanks all you guys for your patience.
Enjoy______________

[ Edited by: Benzart 2007-07-10 06:21 ]

Benz,

NICE stuff! I was wondering where the mahogany Lono was......

-Gman

edited for bad spelling...

"The saw is family"

[ Edited by: GMAN 2006-07-08 13:46 ]

Busy, Busy, Busy. Looks like things are hop'n at the Benzart lab or is it studio.
Those tap handles are looking great as is everything else.

Benz, how do you decide on the character of these pieces, since you do so many at the same time? they are quiet different from each other. Just curious as to how. thanks.

Wow, you could just create roughouts of perfection and still be the master!

McTiki

Benz those look great. Nice to see a new thread for my daily fix of yer stuff! I think I need to get a recipro chisel next. Bad experience with a roto chain grinder and sappy pine wood lately, ya know... What'r ya usin' these daze?

Thanks GMAN.
The Mahogany one with the curly headdress, has been sitting here laying around watching the goinz on and gettin happy knowing his turn was coming. I had to let him dry out a bit and he is ready to go.

Swampy, Everything looks like it is a GO from here for a few daze. Next tuesday I go to a hospital for a trial run on a morphine pump which will put me out of comission about a week and if they decide to install the contraption I'll be laid up another 2 weeks or so,,, they Don't know. MEanwhile back at the ranch, these guys are pieces I started and never finished for various reasons. They will be finished now. When these are done i might feel like carving something Not on the list, which in that case, I will offer it to peeps already on the list. I will try to be as fair as possible and give everyone a chance at getting one of my worthless peices .
I also will try not to keep posting duplicate pic's and I will Post fewer pic's to speed things up.

Hiltiki, these pieces each has his own personal feeling and mana, which is different from any of the others. When I pick him up, his charm comes through and follows through to the original , his flow is maintained.Thanks for the great question.

HEy McTiki, come around one of these dayz!!
Yeah I could create and sell the rough-outs but they wouldn't be done and that is the fun; creating the idea and roughing out that idea and then finishing it where it ALl comes together and becomes the magical thing that we all love

Freddimon, Thanks for the props. I Hope I can keep enough stuff goin on to keep you enthused enough to keep carving and keep you Wanting to crve and learn. For my mental stability I need to keep things different and fresh. If I start to get like a cookie cutter, I would shrivel up and float away So if that fits your needs, you will find it here. My newest tool is the wood burner which is acting like a small V-Liner which adds dark color as it goes, I am still using all the other chisels, grinders, chain saws and chain disc cuttersand hand chisels mostly. Each piece of wood demands different tools
Well thanks again everyone for starting this thread off nicely. Goodnight. More tomorrow.
PS, I have been thinking about getting a tattoo done, any suggestions? I want to do one of my carvings on my arm so maybe we'll have a contest More later.

" No Rest For the Wicked!!"

tattoo sounds cool man! As much as I like the comp idea, go with what YOU want. What tiki have you carved that means the most to you? Every time you look at the tatt, it will remind you of that carving, the reason it speaks to you, the people who are now your friends because of it...

Nice start to your next one hundred Benz...you're an animal!? Now what species...'Carvartikus'???

Flip-flOp-fLipPp...

good to see yer gonna stay busy for a while....and I'm sure that "waiting list" isn't getting
any shorter....always inspiring to view what you're up to!

Benz, the best thing about your tikis is the quality of the immense variety, would all agree!!?? I wanted to ask you... if to speed things up, rather than use the burner, could one use a fine tip sharpie to darken the carved fine lines, then stain over?

Benz,

If you get a tat, it will HAVE to be a Lono with the curved headdress. I can't see it any other way...

-Gman

Ben, you put the rest of us to shame. Well, me at least. More, more, more!

man ben are those looking GOOD. i especially like the white one with the crooked teeth. where do you get all your inspiration? its amazing how you always have freash ideas. loving them. keep the updates comming. one of these days ill have to get on the list. ive been wanting to but i got alot of stuff up right now. soon though, soon.

GOOD WORK

REvBambooBen, thanks, but No thanks. I must NOT be Tooo wicked, because I get LOTS of rest, or sumpthins goin on that I am unaware of hehehe :wink:

HEwey, yeah, right on about the tatt. I am either doins a Maori pendant from earlier or a lono from earlier. It Will be one of my carvings, OR Maybeeeeee ALL of the DAMN THings I dunno yet. I really liked the "Birth of a tiki" scene.

Thanks TravelingJones Carvertikus sounds quite right, yeah I'm an animal but I'm slowing down. Thanks for getting me slotted right.

CongaTiki, thanks to you too. Yes it looks like I will be busy for awhile it seems. There are only 48 peeps on the list so those pieces, plus the oeices that I Want to do makes for 75 to 100 pieces I will be doing here next week... Sorry, I slippet into dillusiional land there for a second At least I Will NOT be having the hospital procedure this week. thay had to reschedule for 2 to 3 weeks later so I can get some work done I guess. Yippie. Actually Conga, your name is near the top of the list so you will be gettin the nod soon my friend.

Freddimon, thanks for the kind words and questions. I tried the marker thing but it isn't the same. I am actually carving the groove with the burner andthe blackening is an xtra added benefit IF I'm not going to stain a dark color. I Love the intricate detail I can do with it and I haven't begun to learn about it yet. As a tool, I'm sure you could benefit from it too Come on down and we will have a Monkey/benfest. we could have lots of fun..
Cheerz,
Benz

Benz, you gotta get one of those Maori facial tattoos. That would be COOL!

Benz, what made you decide to have a tattoo??

Aarons, that's what I'm leaning toward Thanks.
HilTiki, probably seeing my brother-in-laws new tat's of a tiki plumber(he is a plumber) holding pipe wrenches. That really finalized my desire. I have been toying with the idea for some time now. I would love the full Maori facial covering, but that is not possible plus it is frowned upon for any non maori to have a moko especially since there is no history to tell and all kinds of issues come into play.
I may end up with my pendant # 20, #30, or #38 I'm not sure yet.

On 2006-07-08 13:50, GMAN wrote:
Benz,

If you get a tat, it will HAVE to be a Lono with the curved headdress. I can't see it any other way...

-Gman

Seems like that would be a cool and logical design.

On 2006-07-10 22:48, Aaron's Akua wrote:
Benz, you gotta get one of those Maori facial tattoos. That would be COOL!

That sounds like a logical idea for a design too (because of the picture Ben has on his signature line and his recent great Maori art pieces).

Ben, way cool pictures in your first post here in this new thread, and I must say you sure have your work cut out for you (as always), you look like you'll be very busy. What's this deal with the hospital? Is it related to that back pain you were having? So sorry to hear all that.

On 2006-07-10 23:21, hiltiki wrote:
Benz, what made you decide to have a tattoo??

Yes, what made you decide to do that?

On 2006-07-08 04:45, hewey wrote:
tattoo sounds cool man! As much as I like the comp idea, go with what YOU want. What tiki have you carved that means the most to you? Every time you look at the tatt, it will remind you of that carving, the reason it speaks to you, the people who are now your friends because of it...

Sounds like good advice reagarding the tattoo idea.

Ben, P.S. if you get a tattoo done, please go to a highly repuatble place, as I know hepatitis is a concern.

Thanks Bete, Actually the one piece that talks to me the most is the Tropicana Maori. I have been checking out the local tat artists. Thanks

Maybe you could get an image of a tiki carving a likeness of you out of wood as a tattoo.

Great to arrive back from holiday and see a new thread of your Benz, I'm looking forward to seeing the progress on these pieces. Regarding the tattoo, go for it bro - I just got my first on my Cook Islands trip and I'm hooked!

On 2006-07-12 11:53, Benzart wrote:
Thanks Bete, Actually the one piece that talks to me the most is the Tropicana Maori. I have been checking out the local tat artists. Thanks

Is that the one that is pictured in your signature at the bottom of all your posts?

those look like the beginnings of more awesome pieces, ben! i'm hoping one is for me, but if not i'm a patient man, so no hurries, no worries. i just got home from hawaii, where i saw a couple of incredible pendants you did at gecko's house. i'll be writing more and posting some pics of my trip tomorrow in the tiki travel forum. check out general tiki for my dinners with gecko!

[ Edited by: kingstiedye 2006-07-13 14:06 ]

I love these Ben!

I like the one in the light wood with the very haunting and almost "alive" grin and expression... VERY COOL! What a chiseler you are!!! in a GOOD way!!!

~~ THOR

TSkip, yeah that may be cool, but that would be difficult to do , plus people would ALWAYS Look at it and say "Is that supposed to be You?" and I would be looking for the nearest laser shop.
Thanks Paipo, Welcome back! Do you have pic's yet of yours? C'mon, break it out, we're dyin to see it..
Bete, yes, thats the one. Thats the one I Really didn't do. I woke up taking pictures of him and trying to remember carving him, I Still have almost No recollection of carving that guy. Here is a full size pic of him.

Hey KingsTD, you are about in the middle of the list so it may be a little bit. I think I will post what I have for a list if no one has any objections?? Can't wait to see your pix, thanks.
THOR's, thanks for the props. That face you're talking about will be something new for me, I hope I can pull it off, Thanks again.
I am actually going to be able to carve some today..HOOORAY!
Updates to follow later.

WOW! You have so much going at one time!!! I go for the headress tatoo, also!! if we have a vote!!!
I surely hope all goes well with your pain killer deal! Amazing what they come up with now days. My thoughts will be with you in this . Onward and upward!
You certainly have a GOOD attitude!!! Auntie B.
PS: I was thinking about a tatoo on my last visit to Hawaii! But then I thought what trouble I'd be in with my daughter!!!

Best wishes on the pain proceedure, been missing your posts but know you have to take care of yourself. As far as the tattoo, I've been thinking of one myself.

According to the first few pictures in this thread, it looks like we have a lot to look forward to when you get back to carving.

JP

Thanks Aunt Bungy, nice to have you visit my work pages, thanks for the props.Still undecided as to what to tatt on my wrinkled old skin.
JP, thanks, They delayed the test for a few eeks so now I just have to fight the house To-Do list.
Here is the update for today. This Mokomokai is really giving me a hard time and I don't know why. It's like all my carvings I try to bring to life and this one needs just the opposite? This is the first small moko I have done using the wood burner and I am Very pleased with how it does the job





This is a piece of Chocolate Maple and the wood has only been buffed and waxed.

[ Edited by: Benzart 2006-07-13 17:11 ]

Moko Madness!!!! I love it!!!!
is the woodburner easier for you to use than the previous method of carving the moko?

Great work, ben! You'll have to post pics of the tat when you get it

Very nice Ben. I love what you are doing with the burner. I bet that beats using the hook to do the small moko....?

-Gman

Nice tatts man!

Have you considered just a moku like line art tatt for your arm? Maybe images of tikis surrounded by moku?

Hey Poly, The woodburner is WAY easier physically but can get out of control ifyou're not careful. The wood surface has to be finished down to the final sanding with no poly or lacquer applied. I am SO excited with the look the burner gives,,it is really Wild and clean.
Thanks Poly..

Gman, thanks for the props, I think you need one of these machines.

Hewey, thanks for the comps man. No I haven't considered that line art, I will have to try drawing some of that out.
Meantime I guess this guy is going to be finished tomorrow. If y'all are good Peeps, maybe I'll post some final pix of him before I box him up and send him on his merry little way. Thanks for All your support.
BenZart

Hewey, that is just too much. That guy looks familiar, do we know him? I don't think I'll be doing anything that radical, but Cool Pic anyway. I wish getting a tat were so easy!

Benzart that Maori pendant freakin RockS!!!!! I reall like the chocolate wood your are using. Oh yeah-Good luck on choosing a cool tattoo!!! I have a huge leg piece and it has taken about two years and a lot of $$$ to complete. It is almost done (just 1 more touch up appt left)!!! I will share pic's of it after that!!! I have been dying to share it with everybody but I want to wait till it is complete. I am very curious what a creative genious like yourself will decide to get.
Where on your body will you put it???
Keep up the Amazing work!!!
Later,
Spermy

Ben, Beautiful Moko, and yes, the burner can slip every now and then, but at least you can recover without too much noticeable rework. Tatoo? Very cool. I got a celtic on the back of my neck on my B-Day a couple of yrs ago. Still get compliments. Be very picky with the artist selection. Good luck.

Mahalo

Mc

Thanks Spermy, McTiki, you too. See if it still rocks now that I finished it.......

WOW! WOW!! WOW!!! I want one! Benz he looks so perfect....can you go any further??????

-Gman

back before the year 2000 benz was still but an ambiguous space monkey!

It's going to take away from my time of looking at it to tell you how cool it is, so I'll shut up now and go look some more...
I nominate Bete's giant Lono next...Buzzy

hey ben, i have no idea how far you are from lake worth, fl, but pooch at altered state tattoos is an amazing painter and tattoo artist. check him out here: http://www.alteredstate.net/ and here: http://www.poochisland.com/ . he recently finished a painting for me, but it's gonna be in a show later this year so i don't have it yet, but here's a pic.

[ Edited by: kingstiedye 2006-07-14 18:02 ]